this show rips!! i am making my way thru the year of 1977 back to back, and after so many standout shows, this show really stands out! wasnt expecting much.
i SHRIEKED at that little passage into franklins. soo pretty and smooth. this omsn rips too by the way. alao i think this is my favorite terrapin of the year so far; maybe all time peggy-o, fotd, and i think this the franklins that made me fall in love with the dead in high school. weirdly because i never knew this show. it was back in the "free online music" days of the 00's and it was just a random file.
rest of the show is top notch setlist and performances, whole band in excellent form, good crowd (altho so much gd clapping) and funny banter.
another amazing performance by the grateful dead. given its a random show in the middle of a 2 month tour and winterland run, this show is 5 stars.

Good recording of a terrific show. One of the cooler Playin' sandwiches out there. After a lot of Scarlet-Fires earlier in the spring they seem to be mining Playin' a bit more at this juncture of '77, which is cool.

I love the guy yelling out for China Cat after every song. A lot of times I get annoyed by the talking and banter in AUD recordings but that one had me laughing.

two full song sequences in set 2, the segues in the second one are fucking ridiculous. garcia is in full flight for a big chunk of this one

the tape is great for the era. very enjoyable still by modern AUD standards. better in lossless and turned up loud on speakers (not just headphones)

In certain circles this was a big trading show but now it seems like an orphan. It's one the few remaining highpoint shows from the highpoint era with no SBD or official release - just AUDs. It occurred between the shows on To Terrapin Hartford and the Winterland 77 box. It's better than the former, though not some of the latter, and apparently the show is missing from the vault?

It was a one-off at The Forum and, surprisingly, the only time they played it outside of the six shows in '89 (when it was called Great Western) - that half-century old venue that's still pumping along. I remember shrugging about this tape because during the soup-Nazi, taper-stranglehold era nobody had more than low-gens (and now we think it's weird there's no board!).

This is right in the middle of the band's famed spring '77 highpoint and a couple weeks later was when Zeppelin did their famous Forum stand, from which the Listen to Eddie and Badgeholder boots came (the former is much better). Isn't it weird that Dead tapers were so much more skilled on average (yeah, I know there are a few reasons for this).

I like the dude that yells "you never know what the next song's gonna be but whatever they do it's great". That's true of almost any concert yet we know exactly what he means semiotically. Another funny one is the dude: "looks like we're never gonna see a China Cat again", four songs in!

"Funny though, I get a stronger smell of cigarettes than I do of dope". That's funny on a another level to me because, going to an Orange County show, I told my SoCal head host that I disliked all the smoke at SoCal shows and he was convinced nobody smoked behind the Orange curtain until we got inside. Those SoCal shows were full of cigarettes! I never did figure out why and that was true of Ventura, The Forum, Irvine, etc.

1st Set:  B
2nd Set: A
Overall = 4 Stars
Average for Spring 77 - which is above average (i.e. 2-1/2 Stars)

Highlights:
1st Set-
Tennessee Jed - turns bouncy jouncy ragtime-like
Peggy-O - '77 has the strongest Fennarios, destroy the other era-os
Friend of The Devil
New Minglewood Blues - '77 was so uptempo
Brown Eyed Women - tighter than a _______in a ______
2nd Set -
The whole thing but in particular -
Samson & Delilah - even Donna is great
Eyes of the World - Bobby starts way uptempo, the pace slackened after this era
Drums - not usually as remarkable as 80s/90s
China Doll
Not Fade Away - hyper tempo
Playing in the Band

SOURCES: This is a Bertrando>Menke FOB in the MOTB so qual is stellar AUD. Menke's sounds a little fuller than Rob's, and since he was patched from Rob one surmises it was just the difference in decks (plus it seems a little EQ/mastering differences).

This is a delight to listen to. My ears are very happy, as they were anticipating a lower quality AUD recording. However, this is impressive audio.

Magical version of Eyes of the World.

Thanks so much for sharing this beauty!

especially the Terrapin etc. jam, it's also kinda rough in others. Pretty good recording.

Wuz always jealous of those west coast 77's..I had/have this on a maxel, sounds so much better here, nicely done..Band tight, versions tighter..China Doll...CommAhhhnn...Saweet! Fair thee well my friends!

Now Ive heard this band do some magical shit before, but he invocation of light just out of Playing before franklin's thunders in just sent me into hyperspace spontaneously! These guys are cool. He he...
OK, I do have to throw 5 bright morning stars on this, and Ive never bothered before.

"It's funny though, I get a stronger smell of cigarettes than I do of DOPE. O-oh my."--Female concertgoer before the start of Candyman

Well this has always been one of my favorite AUDs from 1977. The sound is just amazing here. Thanks for the upgrade. Each song is uniquely and perfectly played. Love the Lazy Lightning>Supplication and Candyman. The whole second set is just Acapulco gold.

Although the Bertrando recording is louder, this recording is more clear but you'll need to turn it up more, coming from my $49 speaker anyway. Actually, I like the first set of the Bertrando recording and this second set. Rating 4.51

Only on AUD and spectacular!!
This show delivers from top to bottom.
The energy level is through the roof.
What can I really say? It's as sick as it looks,
if not more so. Break off the volume knob!!!!

I think that alot of people forget about this show becuase it is only circulating as an aud, however this is a very high quality recording. Lazy Lightning>Supplication was the highlight of the first set for me which was solid 77'. the second set is where this show really shines. Estimated>eyes is great, as well is the terrapin>playin>franklins. Finally china doll>NFA>playin finishes the show in fantastic fashion. Get this show

Man, this is a totally killer show. First of all, let me just say that in my opinion this has got to be one of the very, very best 77's (which I know is no small claim). First set is quality (e.g., FOTD, Music), but not suprisingly it is the second set that is really spectacular. Highlights include Estimated>Eyes, Franklin's(the transition from Playin' is killer) and a Cornell-esqe NFA (albiet with a slightly faster tempo). Lots and lots of other great stuff to enjoy as well!!

...well, besides the talkers in the first set.
Anytime you hear "Spring 77" and "MOTB" in the same breath, you know your day has just improved. The only other source, another AUD, is outstanding but the MOTB folks have kicked it up a notch here. Great work for a great show. Typical Spring 77 performance w/ yet another roof being blown off. I've said it before and I'll say it again: we are some spoiled kids around here.